JEDDAH/ABHA, 9 May — The Ministry of Health is to set up a supervisory committee to monitor exploitation of patients and medical errors in private hospitals. Similar committees will also be set up in government hospitals to investigate medical errors.
In a meeting with the owners of the private hospitals in Jeddah, Health Minister Osama Shubokshi said the committee would make surprise checks in hospitals, health centers, medical stores and laboratories to establish whether they were committing any violations. Though the ministry has not fixed any fees to be charged in private hospitals, it has issued certain guidelines on the matter that will be available for public scrutiny.
Shubokshi said the ministry submitted recommendations intended to regularize the hospital fees to the Council of Ministers as the ministry did not have the authority to fix the charges without the Council’s approval. On the other hand, the government permitted competition among private hospitals in the matter, Shubokshi added.
The health minister said the new health regulations, submitted for the approval of the higher authorities, would be published shortly. The ministry will also soon implement the insurance regulations after the approval of the Council.
He informed that the Health Ministry has cleared all its financial commitments to private companies. He ruled out the construction of new hospitals in Jeddah. The first phase of the Mina Hospital will be built at a cost of SR60 million.
The blueprint for the 500-bed maternity hospital in Makkah at a cost of SR100 million, donated by Muhammad Ali Magrebi, has now been drawn up, the minister said. The 500-bed King Abdul Aziz Specialist Hospital built at the cost of SR 500 million in Taif will be opened shortly, the minister said.
Referring to the mysterious illness reported from the southern province of Asir the minister said 248 school students in Asir developed symptoms of a mystery disease after they consumed water contaminated by two kinds of bacteria. All but seven have been discharged from hospital, he said.
